


Spring Cleaning

by DelightfullyDifficult



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10061360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelightfullyDifficult/pseuds/DelightfullyDifficult
Summary: Emma realizes how soothing a day of cleaning can be as she makes her new house a home.





	1. Spring Cleaning

**Author's Note:**

> To celebrate the achievement of 100 followers (103 actually!) here is my first attempt at writing fanfiction (and something not an academic paper) in over 6 or so years.  
> Beta’d by the amazing @icecubelotr44
> 
> *Set after the return from the underworld, but no real spoilers.*

Emma has never been an overly clean person, per se. Not to say she was a slob, no, but she never really took the time to keep up on the less-than-essential cleaning chores that come with living. She didn’t dust window ledges, clean the crumb infested nooks in the kitchen, or bother organizing the chaotic mess that was her bathroom. 

There was rarely anyone but her in her various apartments, so why should she bother? And if one of her one-night stands judged the state of her bathroom, who cared? It wasn’t as if she would ever see them again.

Despite this, she somehow finds herself spending her entire Saturday cleaning her ‘new’ house in Storybrooke from top to bottom without any prompting. There was no Snow White urging her to make the house a home, no family gathering to prepare for, and no overly obvious detritus of life that was in need of cleaning. 

They’d only returned from the Underworld a week ago and much of that had been spent at the hospital where Killian had been under the watchful eyes of the doctors and nurses. They’d brought him back alive, yes, but her pirate had still been run through the chest by a large sword, not to mention the other injuries he’d attained while dead. She’d insisted on a hospital stay , even threatening to handcuff him to the bed again if he protested, much to his delight. 

She starts with the laundry, throwing all the dirty clothes, towels, and bed linens into the wash. Not all at once, of course. She’s learned her lesson the hard way that there is a limit to how much one can actually clean in a washer at once. 

She can still remember the scathing look the laundromat attendant had given her when he’d had to unplug the machine to get it to stop rocking. 

The master bedroom is rather tidy, as is the attached bathroom, thanks to Killian’s very military organizational habits. So she cleans the windows, dusts the ledges, sweeps and mops the floor. 

She makes a quick stop in Henry’s new room, not wanting to invade the soon-to-be teenager’s domain, but needing to collect any spare dishes or clothes to add to the next load of laundry. Henry has already put his mark on the room; a few notebooks littering the desk, a jacket thrown casually on the chair, the bed unmade. She straightens that on her way out. 

The second bathroom on the upper floor is more of a daunting challenge. How Henry has made such a mess in the short time he has stayed at the house, she isn’t sure. She realizes that this is likely a problem that all parents ask themselves. She emerges 30 minutes later, determined to find some of the Clorox toilet cleaning tabs she’d used during her year in New York City. 

The hallway only needs a quick sweep, so she’s heading upstairs to the unused third floor before noon. 

It’s beautiful. The late morning sun streams through the turret’s windows, illuminating much of the floor’s interior. Beautiful hardwood bookcases line two of the walls, comfortable looking chairs and a chaise lounge are arrayed in a circle, and fine - but worn – rugs are scattered about to protect your feet from cold floors. 

She hadn’t been up here much during the six weeks she’d inhabited the house as the Dark One. Hook loves this room, spending much of the time since his release from the hospital exploring the numerous books the bookcases contained. Though she worries about him on the stairs, she was happy he found a sedentary pastime to pursue while he was on the mend. 

Thinking on her absent pirate, she fishes her phone from her pocket and checks her messages. She’s rewarded with a photo, sent by her father, of Killian sitting on a coil of rope aboard The Jolly Roger, his face turned upwards towards the sunlight. David, Killian, Robin, Henry, and Roland had all gone fishing, anxious to enjoy the warming weather before another emergency presented itself. Killian, of course, had strict instructions to take it easy and let the others do the hard lifting. Her pirate was apparently following her instructions.

With a smile on her face, she sets about her cleaning. She becomes so absorbed that she misses the changing light and only a growl from her stomach informs her that she’s missed lunch.

Lunch is a sandwich made from left over roast and salad from the night before. She’s never considered herself much of a cook, but Killian helped her through the process and what had resulted wasn’t bad. Henry had even gone for seconds, a rare occurrence when she cooked. Though she wasn’t sure if it was because he liked the food or because his latest growth spurt demanded he eat more.

She receives a few more pictures from the boys and after marveling at the cellphone reception Storybrooke seems to have, makes a picture of David tied to the mast his contact photo. She can only imagine the story behind it and is anxious to hear it when Killian returns home .

After lunch, she cleans the kitchen. It doesn’t take much, since Henry had helped her clean it after dinner last night. But the fridge gets a deep clean, the stove shines, and even the most stubborn of crumbs are swept from the corners.  
She catches herself humming as she moves into the living room and her mind immediately flashes to the scene from the old Disney movie when Snow White is singing as she cleans the dwarf’s home and she has to sit down for a few minutes as she laughs. 

Her jubilant mood lasts through her thorough clean of the living room, likely the most used room of the house. She finds Henry’s iPod in the couch cushions, so she pops the earbuds into her ears and turns on some old 80’s rock (her son has good taste, she notes). She barely remembers to switch over the latest load of laundry as she becomes so immersed in her current task. 

An hour later and the living room is clean. She flops down onto the couch, the iPod falling, unnoticed, back between the cushions. Her muscles are sore and she’s in desperate need of a shower, but she feels accomplished. And lighter. Somehow, cleaning the house has lifted a weight from her shoulders. The house feels less like the abode of the Dark One and more like her, Killian’s, and Henry’s home.

Home. She likes the sound of that.

She stretches out and makes herself comfortable on the couch and slips into an easy sleep, a smile on her lips at the thought that she finally, truly, has a home.


	2. On The Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Emma cleaned house, Killian and the lads bonded while on the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ‘conclusion’ of my small 2 pt fic Spring Cleaning. Beta'd by the ever patient Icecubelotr44.

As lads, the Jones’ brothers had always loved to be by the sea. Killian and Liam would often be found on the seaside cliffs near their family home, having neglected their chores in favor of watching the waves beat against the rocks below. Every so often their father would take them into town with him and they would spend as much time as they could listening to the stories of far off lands and adventures to be had that the naval sailors would bring. Both boys thrived on these stories and both were determined to join the Navy as soon as they were able.

Though both he and his brother had realized this dream, life had taken some unexpected turns, both before and after.

The Jewel of the Realm, once the prize ship of his brother and the King’s Navy, was now The Jolly Roger. Lieutenant Killian Jones had died the same moment his brother passed from the poisonous Dreamshade of Neverland and had been reborn, first as Captain Jones, then as Captain Hook - Scourge of the Sea.

Three hundred years later, though, Killian Jones was beginning to make his way to the surface once more, all because of an infuriating blonde.

Said blonde also came with a multitude of family members, one of whom had insisted that a day of fishing aboard the Jolly Roger would speed his recovery. Not that he is doing much fishing himself, of course, with his wounds from the Underworld still tender and healing. Emma, beautiful Savior, had been too nervous to heal his wounds with her magic after the fiasco in Camelot and had insisted he be seen by the medical staff at the hospital instead. Though he had complete faith in Emma’s abilities to heal him, he’d allowed himself to be poked and prodded by the annoying Doctor Whale to ease his love’s mind. He was told he had a few cracked ribs, a bruised lung, and other random lacerations and contusions that would all heal with time; plus he had two new corresponding scars, pink and itchy, on his chest and back from being run through by Excalibur.

So he’d helped Henry and David steer the Jolly to a spot deemed suitable for fishing and found himself a comfortable spot on a coil of rope to watch and offer moral support, despite his desire to correct Robin and David’s methods of baiting hooks. 

He must have dozed off, lured to Dreamland by the smell of the sea and the warmth of the sun on his face, only to be awoken by Robin’s cry of “Roland!” as the young lad was nearly pulled over the rail. He’d rushed from his post and he, David, Robin, and Henry managed to not only keep the lad from going overboard, but also succeeded in reeling in the large fish on the end of the line.

The fish, a salmon David called it, proved to be rather larger and more alive than anticipated when they finally managed to haul it aboard. It had escaped the net and proceeded to flop across the deck, its head and tail keeping anyone from getting too close. With no sword or bow at hand, the ensuing scuffle to subdue the beast had only ended when he threw himself upon the fish and buried his hook in its gills. His adversary dead, Killian had retreated once more to his chosen post, his sore ribs reprimanding him for the activity.

He was soon joined by Roland, who had promptly laid himself across the pirate’s lap and had fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted by his close call.

Henry had also decided it was time for a break and brought over the ‘cooler’ that contained the group’s lunches, packed thoughtfully by Emma and Snow that morning.

“Did you and your crew fish for food when out at sea?” Henry asked as he pulled a sandwich out of its wrappings.

Taking an offered sandwich, he replied, “Only when needed. We’d make port rather often, either to trade goods or gather intelligence on a prize, so we rarely ran low on supplies.”

They ate in silence for a time before Henry continued his line of inquiry.

“What if you weren’t catching anything? What would you do?”

“Cut rations and make for the nearest port,” he said honesty.

Henry’s face fell at his answer though, so he continued, “However, there are tales of ancient sailors offering a sacrifice to the god of the Sea when the weather was foul or the sea wasn’t providing adequate bounty.”

“Really?”

“Hmm. It was well known then that the god of the Sea’s wife had a fondness for handsome sailors to decorate her court. So a crew would choose the handsomest among them and throw him overboard in hopes that the goddess would look favorably upon them,” He elaborated, trying to remember the stories the old seadogs had told him when he was just a lad.

“If you’re hoping to find an answer to our current plight, I’m afraid I cannot condone sacrificing David or Robin. I do not relish the idea of explaining that to either of your mothers or grandmother.”

Henry laughed.

“Though, if we had to choose one to sacrifice, I’d go with your grandfather. Not because he is the most handsome, but simply because he is an awful sailor,” he gestured with his hook over to where David was attempting to tie off a rope with the bowline knot Killian had taught him during their adventure in Neverland but the prince was failing miserably. 

“Do me a favor, lad, and keep him from ruining the rigging? I’d like to be home before supper.”

A thoughtful looked passed over Henry’s face as he watched his grandfather fail, again, at tying off the line. “Do you think the goddess would accept a proxy sacrifice? Say, a sailor tied to the mast?” He asked, a wicked grin forming on his young face.

Killian had to keep from laughing, lest the prince and thief suspect anything.

“You know what? I think she just might.”

Their plan came together quickly and as soon as Roland awoke, it was put into motion.

Henry joined Robin and David and effectively tied of the line the prince had been struggling with, while he and Roland found one of the shorter lengths of rope, but still a good 30 feet long, and moved it close to the mast. There, he proceeded to teach the little Hood some basic knots, such as a clove hitch and figure eight. Henry he showed more advanced techniques, like the butterfly bend and blood knot. Once the other two men drifted over to watch the lesson, he and Henry began maneuvering so that David was next to the mast, with a length of rope stretched in front of him. 

With their victim in position, Henry lifted a small coil of rope onto his shoulder and darted behind the mast. Killian and Roland held the other end tightly, lest David try and escape once he realized what was occurring. But the prince was too caught up in trying to master the bowline and only realized he was the target of mischief when Henry finished his second pass and the rope caught him across his chest, pinning him to the mast.

His undignified squawk sent Robin into roaring laughter and despite his friend’s pleas for help, the thief refused. Instead he took a few pictures of his friend’s plight with his talking-phone.

Soon, the entire length of rope was wound around David from chest to hip, his arms trapped at his sides.

“Prince David of the Enchanted Forest, you are hear-by sacrificed to the Gods of the Sea in hopes that they will bless us with a bounty of fish!” Henry exclaimed through his laughter.

“Fish? I’m being sacrificed for fish?” David said incredulously, shooting a glare at his grandson.

With that, the four of them left the poor prince to his fate and cast their lines over the side of the Jolly Roger. While they waited, Robin sent a copy of his photos to Killian and Killian chose on the best to send to his swan, hoping the sight of her father in such a condition would brighten her day. His lady has indicated that she planned to spend the day cleaning their home; a chore, he felt, may help her cast away some of the dark memories he knew she associated with the house.

Within an hour, the group of them managed to catch some cod and haddock, so they released David from his prison, content that the sacrifice of his dignity had not been in vain.

As the day neared close, Killian watched as Henry deftly guided the Jolly Roger back towards Storybrooke. Their cooler was full of fish for Granny to cook up and unsurprisingly, he did feel as if he was closer to his pre-Camelot and Underworld self. He was sure that Emma would have something to say about his wrestling with a fish, but as long as she helped him bind his sore ribs, he was okay with that.


End file.
